Tributes have been paid to a “kind and dedicated” worker on the funicular that derailed and crashed into a building in Lisbon, killing at least 16 people.
Andre Jorge Goncalves Marques, a brake guard who worked on the Gloria funicular railway, was on Thursday named as one of the victims of the crash in the Portuguese capital that also left 23 people injured.
Other victims named on Thursday included former volleyball referee Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade and lawyer Alda Matias.
Carris, the company which operates the funicular, said in a statement that Marques had “performed his duties with excellence” and had been an “outstanding representative” of the company.
“His courage and professionalism, recognised by all, came to a tragic end with the loss of his life in the accident that claimed his life,” they said.
They described him as a “dedicated, kind and smiling” professional who was “always willing to contribute to the greater good”.
Portuguese transport union Sitra also paid tribute to Marques. “We also send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” the company said in a post on Facebook.
“This is one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history,” Luís Montenegro, the prime minister, said of the crash, as he revised the death toll to 16 after authorities previously said 17 people had died.
Trindade was named as a victim by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation. The organisation said it was “deeply saddened by the tragedy”.
Portuguese media also said another victim was Matias, who reportedly worked for the Santa Casa da Misericordia charity, which supports disabled people and orphans.
The BBC reported that ombudsman Paulo Sousa wrote to employees: “It is in shock that we all find ourselves. We lost colleagues, friends, people with whom we shared our daily lives and our mission.”
All the people who died were adults, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency said. So far, at least 10 nationalities were confirmed among the people injured.
As well as Portuguese people, two Germans, two Spaniards and one person each from France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Morocco, South Korea and Cape Verde were among the injured, the agency head said.
The UK Foreign Office told The Independent it is on standby to provide assistance if any British nationals are affected.
